High-speed printing press for printing of different colors



G. NELKI Aug.` 24, 1954 HIGH-SPEED PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING OF DIFFERENT COLORS 2 Sheets-Sheet Jl Filed May 25, 1951 ll I INVENTOR. /Vf/ /V /f/ 2,687,089 SPEED PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING OF DIFFERENT COLORS Filed May 25, 1951 G. NELKI Aug. 24, 1954 HIGH- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @N |MRUVN| N N il@ k@ l o Q s o W//m A o Q \\\\Q\Q NX@ Y w Q im www QQ am m QN dmmmll Tbl Patented Aug. 24,1954

HIGH-SPED PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINT- ING DIFFE'RENT COLORS Gunter Nclki, Hamburg,

Frederick D. Low

Germany, assignor to ell, Chicago, Ill. i

Application May 25, 1951, Serial No. 228,157

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to high-speed printing presses and, more particularly, to a device adapting such presses for printing in different colors. Y

It has already been proposed to insert type holders in the printing press in such manner that upon approach of the printing cylinder these holders `will be lifted into the printing plane. Such arrangements will only be suitable for the printing of a particular set of characters in dif- `ferent colors, it being necessary to replace the type holders whenever the text to be printed was to be changed; moreover, these prior arrangements lacked means for supplying the proper ink to the chase inserted in the main form.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide means for so inserting a sub-form, from which a print of a certain color is to be made,in a main form from which there is simultaneously to be made a print o-f a different color, that the type of the sub-form may be rapidly and conveniently replaced when desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide means enabling the supply of ink of one color to a sub-form inserted in `a main form which is designed to receive ink of a different color.

A further object of the invention is to provide means responsive to the movement of the bed of a printing press, supporting a main form in which there is inserted a sub-form, for supplying special ink of distinct color to the sub-form alone, thereby enabling the printing, for example, of

an advertisement in red print `within a` text printed in black.

The invention will be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing one of many possible embodiments of the i invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central section, taken on the line l--I of Fig. 2, through part of the bed of a printing press embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the portion of the printing press shown in Fig. 1; and

Figs. la, 1b and 1c show, in three diierent relative positions, the bed and so much of the remainder of the press as is necessary for a complete understanding of the` invention, the bed being shown in section taken substantially on the line I--I ofFig. 2.

Referring iirst to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown at I the bed of`a high-speed printing press supporting the main form 2. The device to be inserted in this main form comprises a chase 3 receiving a sub-form 4 which, in accordance with the invention, is to produce a print of a color distinct from that of a print simultaneously produced from the main form 2. The chase 3 rests on rollers 5a', secured to levers 5d which are swingable in pivots 5b, and is biased by springs 6 tending `to maintain the surface of sub-form Il below the surface of main form 2 by a distance indicated at 4'.

A pair of cam members la, "lb, in the shape of horizontal rails provided with inclined terminal portions or ramps at each end, extend parallel to each other and to the direction of movement of the bedi, as indicated at I', l, at opposite sides of the chase 3. The rails la, lb rest on rollers cwhich are carried on the ends of levers 5c, these levers being swingable about the pivots 5b of the levers 5a and being united with the latter for simultaneous displacement, each pair `of levers 5a, 5c thus in effect forming a single bell crank lever pivoted at 5b. If, therefore, the cam rails la, 'ib are depressed, chase 3 is raised by these bell crank levers to the level of the main form 2.

Chase 3 with its sub-form 4, levers 5a, 5c and rails la, lb are mounted in a common frame 8 which is inserted at a suitable location within the main form 2. The two rails la, 'lb are guided between the two longer walls of the frame 8 and respective stationary partitions 8a, 8b.

At the center of each of these partitions there is pivoted a respective lever arm Si, il) swingable about a stub or pin Il, i2, respectively, against the force of springs 9b which tend to maintain the arms 9, it in their centered position illustrated in full lines in Fig. l. A rod 20 interconnects the arms 9 and l0. The arms have longitudinal slots 9a through which project gudg eons l3nt, |319 of an ink roller i3. The ends of the gudgeons l3nt, 13b rest on ledges 8a', 8b provided at the top of the partitions 8a, 3b, respectively. A swinging of the arms 9, I0 to the right or to the left will thus result in a horizontal sliding of the gudgeons 13a, i319 on the` ledges 3a', 8b', thereby causing the roller I3 to roll over the surface of sub-form li.

At the two ends of the chase 3 there are provided two ink reservoirs ld and l5, respectively, containing ink of the desired color and adapted to receive the roller I3 upon displacement of the arms 9, lil into theirleftmost or rightmost position, respectively, as illustrated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 1. The unit 9, I0, 20 may be arrested in either of these extreme positions by means of notches I6 provided at the lower, pivoted ends 0f these arms, which may be engaged by locking pins Ila or I'Ib, respectively, upon said unit occupying one or the other position.

Disengagement of the locking pins from the notches I6 may be effected by depressing release knobs lila, Ib which act over a set of rods, such as vertical rods im, lb camming with horizontal rods lila', |912 which are connected with pins lla, l'ib over centrally pivoted links Igiw, IQb", respectively; when the locking pins are thus withdrawn from the notches It, arms 9 and il! are restored to their central positions by the springs 9b.

The operation of the device described Will be explained with reference to Figs. la, 1b and lc wherein, in addition to the parts referred to, there has been shown a printing cylinder 2l and ink rollers 22a, 2219 supported by and under which the bed I passes, which bed reciprocates in the direction of arrows I and I". In Fig. la the printing cylinder 2| has just depressed theknobs itc, thereby releasing'the arm 9 from its extreme right-hand position into which it had been brought by the ink rollers 22a toward the end of the preceding stroke.

After the arm s has resumed its Vertical position, further movement of the bed I in the direction of arrow I will, as shown in Fig. 1b., bring this arm s into contact with the ink rollers 22h which will thereby swing it toward the left until, as illustrated in Fig. 1b, locking pin I'Ib engages with one of the notches IS thereof. From Fig. lb it will be noted that the ink rollers 22p rise as the cam member Ia passes under them, these rollers being thus incapable of rais-V ing the sub-form il toward printing level; ink rollers 22d, 22h will similarly be without eifect when passing over the release knobs |80., Ib. It will also be noted that the auxiliary ink roller i3 is sufficiently withdrawn below the surface of rails la, 'ib to be protected from. contact with the main ink rollers 22a, 22h.

After the movement ofthe bed I has been reversed, as shown in Fig. 1c, the printing cylinder passes over knob ISa whose associated locking pin Ila, however, does not engage any notch i5 at this time, hence the depression of knob I8a performs no useful function. Lever 9' is also slightly depresesd by the passing cylinder, whereby almost the entire lower half of the periphery of roller I3 is dipped into the reservoir Ill.

Next the cylinder ZI depresses the cam 1a, as well as cam ib not shown in Fig. lc, and the action of bell crank levers 5cc, 5c raises the subform i to a level flush with that of main form 2,

as illustrated. From the preceding descriptionV it will be understood that, during further movement of the bed I in the direction of arrow I", cylinder 2l depresses ib, thereby releasing arms t, i@ from their left-hand position. and

restoring them to normal, whereupon. contact.

with ink rollers 22a will re-lock these arms in the position shown in Fig. 1a. k

It will thus be seen that before each printing operation the roller I3 passes completely over the sub-form Il, thereby providing it with ink from a respective one of the reservoirs I4, I5 into which this roller is dipped at thev end of each stroke of the bed I.

Although specic embodiments of the invention have been described and shown in the drawing, it should be noted that the invention may be realized in modied form and adaptations of the arrangements herein disclosed may be made as may readily occur to persons skilled inthe.

art without constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the objects and in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a printing press having a printing cylinder and, a main form, in combination, a subform movably inserted in said main form, means supporting said printing cylinder rolling across said forms, biasing means normally maintaining the surface of said sub-form below the surface of said main form, mechanism for displacing said sub-form against the action of said biasing means, cam. means. controlling said mechanism, said cam means being engageable by said printing cylinder for raising said sub-form to the level of said main form, a pair of rails connected to and positioned intermediate said cam means and extending alongside said sub-form on opposite sides;- thereof, said mechanism including lever y direction of relative movement between saidv means operatively connecting the underface of each of said rails with the underface of said sub-form, said biasing means comprising spring means acting upon said rails by Way of said lever means so` as to normally maintain said rails raised above the level of said main form.

2f. In a printing press, a device for supplying ink to a substantially vertically movable subform inserted in a main form, whereby said subform occupies the level of said main form and a level below that of said main form, respectively, said -device comprising at least one ink fountain attached at an end of said sub-form below the level of said sub-form, an ink roller swingably supported. to normally extend above said sub-form and displaceable to the latter so as to be received by said ink fountain, and operating means for displacing said ink roller to traverse over said sub-form and past said end thereof, said operating means including oscillatable guide means supporting said ink roller and to which said ink roller is relatively movable. to enter said fountain upon leaving said sub-form.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said oscillatable guide means includes a pivoted member having a slot, said ink roller having a gudgeon received in said' slot.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said guide means further comprises a stationary ledge supporting saidv gudgeon, said ledge being connected to said main form and being positioned substantially parallel to the direction of travel of said ink roller.

5. The combination accordingto claim '7, said device further comprising biasing means normally maintaining the surface of said Sub-form below the surface of said main form, mechanism for displacing said sub-form against the action of said` biasing means, Aand cam means engageable` by said printing. cylinder for so controlling said mechanism as to raise said Sub-form to the level of saidmain form.

6. rBhe combination according to claim 5.,v

wherein said releasing means comprises a pair of4 release membersv positioned on opposite sides of said. cam means and spaced therefrom in the main form and said printing cylinder.

7. In a printing press, the combination of the device according to claim 2, with a printing cylinder andA main ink rollers positioned on opposite sides of said printing cylinder, movable means supporting said printing cylinder, said operating means including a pivotally disposed lever projecting in a first position above the surface of said main form, said lever Ibeing provided with means guiding said ink roller of said sub-form, means for moving said main form beneath said main ink rollers, thereby effecting contact of said lever with certain of said main ink rollers and causing pivotal displacement of said lever whereby the latter will assume a second position substantially beneath said surface of said main form, locking means operatively connected with said lever and adapted to retain said lever in said second position, and releasing means cooperable with said locking means and engageable by said printing cylinder for inaetivating said locking means during movement of said sub-form past said printing cylinder.

`References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 500,785 Turley July 4, 1893 523,307 Getty July 17, 1894 523,309 Getty July 17, 1894 523,310 Getty July 17, 1894 567,337 Von Eulenfeld Sept. 8, 1896 1,292,190 Whittington Jan. 21, 1919 

